I share some frustration with Fran! I have purchased a book from eBooks, passed it through ADE to unlock DRM in hopes of loading the "purchased item" onto my iPad and I get a message stating it cannot be done as it is DRM protected. I've always thought that a purchased eBook or ePub become DRM free once it has been unlocked by ADE; am I wrong? Too many steps so far! Buy a book, import to ADE, import to Calibre and still unable to load onto iPad. Title is unavailable in iBooks -- go figure!

I just discovered this thread after sharing similar frustrations with ADE and IPad. The .ascm file that's created in your DE directory on your computer when you buy a DRM-protected book is just the key that unlocks the pdf of the book file, the one that you read within DE.

Unlikely that there will be an IPad version of DE anytime soon, given the Flash wars between Adobe and Apple. But there is a workaround via an IPad app called Txtr, which can unlock (legally) and display ebooks that are DRM-protected. After you download the app, it allows you to register your Adobe ID and thus link your IPad with it, like you do with your desktop; then you need to email or otherwise upload the pdf file on your computer to a txtr dropbox, and then download it to your IPad using the Txtr app. You can then read the file on your IPad within Txtr. Laborious process, but it works.....

I have an ipad and download books without going through ADE. There are lots of books available and after buying an e-reader a year ago, which I was only ever able to download one book to, there is absolutely no way I am going anywhere near ADE again. The support is awful and I never did get my issues resolved.

Yes, not very user friendly. And, anyway, there are Kindle and Nook apps for the IPad. My problem was in downloading and reading galley proofs of as-yet unpublished books not yet available at any ebook store. They're almost always DRM-protected, and that means I'm tied to ADE as the only way to read them. Thus, the Txtr option for reading them on the IPad.

DRM only causing hassle to us. We paid for ebooks and still have no rights over them as we have for books that we can even borrow to friends.

Calibre staff is right saying that "Customers will inevitably lose the ebooks they buy. I wonder how long these companies will be in business? Or even if they care."

The only solution is to stop buying ebooks. We better look for free DRM ebooks until ePublishers stop to steer people away from this possibility of freedom simply to maintain their relevance in world developing so fast that they cant keep up.

I am having similar problems. I wanted a technical book and eventually found it electronically at Taylor and Francis. Trying to download it to my ipad caused a hiccup but they were very helpful in getting the book to me on my laptop, but realised no way to get it onto the ipad despite their help. I chose the Adobe version because that is usually the best format for a variety of platforms, but still can't load it there despite loading txtr. I only have a download link and Safari won't use it. Still not certain which Adobe app I need to read it with - digital editions works on the laptop -. Any suggestions? Can't Adobe and Apple just make friends for us poor saps out here?

I followed the txtr reply of Dec 2 and some screens had different names ie. no ME option or Private Texts but My Books. All worked as described until it came time to download ebook in Txtr app library on iPad. Message appeared "Could Not Download Document - There was a problem loading the document" It was an EPUB library book downloaded with Adobe Digital Editions to my computer and I tried it with 2 different books.

I just purchased my first eBook with the belief that I could read it on my iPad using txtr. However, although you can seem to upload the files following the method pastorjlo mentions above, txtr does not seem to allow files sizes greater than 20MB. My book is a large (expensive) text book of 47MB which I can not read where I need to read it.

If anyone has any suggestions about how to reduce the file size or divide the book up into three parts I would be greatful?

For everyone, IF you can purchase the same PDF ebook title from any one source - vendor, distibutor, [your choice here] - that does not download only into the Adobe(TM) Digital Editions software; then go for it.

Preceding Thought:

From the Top View, Adobe is tackling international legal situations - which for this period in time, between 1989 (first burgeoning year of public internet access) and now 15 Nov 2012 - is still an extreme newborn situation, those very few individuals who sincerely care for All Cultures generally, relative to the total population of the entire earth are managing to guide this legal (appearance of a) nightmare.

The single most signficant peave I have is assuming one way is always the best way, this includes proprietary formats that do not use a single Global Multimedia Interconnectivity Standard in the core - which for reference the World Wide Web Consortium ("W3C" colloquially) was created to help prevent mitigate the use of any one proprietary format and build a globally-connecting increasingly more simple to learn and use system of technical web languages.

However, from seeing (of those I experienced and not all inclusive) how Apple, Adobe, Autodesk, Amazon, and all small and medium sized business are interacting, all this cognitive dissoance is very similar Globally how we as individuals are thinking locally; trying to "Solve problems to simplify Life".

If there is feature you would like to see, request through their feedback channels - constructively, not destructively; and with patience. These modern tools are not easy for any one person alone to make.

Sorry for the rant folks, early morning - past midnight -, a mind that works like a very very deep sponge, and a severely horizontal trans-disciplinary mindset.

Dropbox will initially say 'Unable to view file', but if you click on the top right icon in Dropbox it will give options such as 'Open in Bluefire Reader' and 'Open in OverDrive', depending what is installed.

(Just checked, the Bluefire option works fine but that route into OverDrive doesn't seem to work for me.)

Still a bit indirect, but saves the horrors of iTunes (for those whose opinion of iTunes is similar to mine ....)

Absolutely true. Thought I'd add that I was able to accomplish same even more easily by using CrashPlan, which already had my whole computer backed up, so all I had to do was go "restore" the PDF from within the CrashPlan app, click the icon the upper right, and open in Bluefire Reader. Worked great.

I use Overdrive on both my Ipad and my Iphone and it works fine with Adobe Digital Editions. I mostly use if with my library which downloads directly to the app. For other books I can download it to my computer and then transfer it by emailing it to myself at an account I can access on the ipad (just click on the downloaded file to open it in Overdrive). I can also download directly by purchasing on the web using the ipad.

I hope this helps someone else out but I recently came accross the Adobe Digital Editions app within the app store and downloaded it to my iPad. At first I was pulling my hair out trying to sync ebooks across using the Adobe DE application on my macbook and it was not recognising it no matter what I did. This in itself is the issue, this method might work for Kindles, Kobos and other electronic book readers but it will not work for Apple devices.

What Apple fail to mention is that you need to transfer content across using the iTunes library (like music and video media). First of all, get the location of your ebook on your computer (you can right click on it in the DE library and get item info). Then open up iTunes and get to your apps area, select the Adobe DE app.

Then scroll down to the bottom and look for the "Add button". Then go looking for the location on your computer with the ebook file is (you should have got this information from the Adobe DE application on your computer). You add the ebook and then hit the "sync" button.

yes I just noticed this functionality later today. Problem is that the Adobe dev team need to put ALOT more development work into the DE app (for iOS at least). It just cannot stack up against the other readers out there, it sucks pretty bad.

after much frustration I went and downloaded blue fire reader. Wow it just poops all over DE....

@jul and @akadolph - add the book via iTunes and sync with the app. Locate the ePub or PDF file on your computer and sync it in iTunes with blue fire. Meh you prob already figures that out by now as my reply is like 6 months later....